SAN FRANCISCO -- The Academy of Art men's basketball team was able to retake the lead late in the second half against Chaminade, as the Urban Knights outlasted the Silverswords in Kezar Pavilion for their first Pacific West Conference victory of the season, 75-68.

"This was one of those games that we've been prepping for in practice, and we finally got over the hump," said head coach Scott Waterman. "Tonight was a total team victory. Our energy was there for all 40 minutes and all eight guys who suited up made significant contributions." 

Entering the break with a five point halftime lead, the Urban Knights found the game tied exactly midway through the second frame. A jumper from junior forward Luka Radovic briefly gave the Urban Knights the lead again, but Chaminade got a 3-pointer from Andre Arissol to give them the lead 50-49, their first lead since 10:48 in the first half. It wasn't until a layup from junior forward Josh Hill that ART U was able to tie it before a downtown shot from junior forward Adrian Byrd-Jelinek gave them the lead for good. For 22 minutes and 43 seconds the Urban Knights played with the lead, and controlled the game in the paint with 42 of their 75 points. 

ART U was able to shoot over 55 percent to close out the game after knocking down just 42 percent from the field in the first half. Leading the way once again was junior guard Stefan Milivojevic who went 8-for-10 from the field to go with seven rebounds. Six of his game-high 22 points came over the final 2:24 as the Urban Knights looked to put the game away. Junior guard Kai Tease also reached double-figures for the second straight game with 16, while senior guard Victor Ruiz de Carranza pulled down a game-high nine rebounds. 

"This was another step for us on both ends of the court," Waterman said. "We've struggled to hold leads, and we've been working on this the past few days in practice. We still need to cut down on our turnovers and that will be an emphasis as we prepare for the rigors of our PacWest schedule."

With the win, the Urban Knights improve to 3-6 overall, and 1-1 in PacWest play. Meanwhile, the Silverswords drop below .500 at 3-4, also at 1-1 in the PacWest.

The leading scorer for the Silverswords coming into the game was Tyler Cartaino, and he once again paced the team with 17 points. Kendall Small contributed 14 points of his own to go along with two steals.

On the schedule next for the Urban Knights is Bay Area rival Dominican, as ART U looks to put together some momentum and get over .500 in PacWest action. Tipoff is set for 7 pm. this Thursday, Dec. 17 inside Kezar Pavilion.